Monthly Archives: June 2008

“If music be the food of love, play on.”– William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act 1, scene i

So I’m playing on, ya’ll.

Specifically, I’m considering moving. Things on the job market are a bit… bleak. Not working much is not working for me. Especially considering how expensive it is to live here, and how much debt I have.

If anyone in Orange County needs a great organizer, or a great office manager, now is the time to let me know.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em. – William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act II, scene v

I feel as if I’m having a move thrust on me. It’s not my first choice, but it may be the best choice.

At any rate, I agree with John Gay:

Life is a jest, and all things show it,
I thought so once, and now I know it.– John Gay, My Own Epitaph

Hey, Anna-Liza here. Just a quickie before I go to bed. I must sleep soon and long, or I will probably die. Or at least be very cranky.

We went to Steamboat Springs Friday night, drove back Saturday afternoon, then I drove to Denver to go to Marin’s “Girlfriends’ Guide to Gaming” Nintendo party. Oh yes, I did! It was all fun, and the scenery was grand for lots of it, but 10 hours of driving in 36 hours is … a little much. Even if Darlin’ K did most of the actual driving and I spent most of my energy mentally shielding us from all the idiots who think the painted lane lines are mere suggestions. But I’d better not go into that rant.

Steamboat was earthy, Burning-Man-ish, hot-springs-and-fire-and-clothing-optional. Marin’s party was girly (in a good way), urban, polished, wine-and-high-heels-with-jeans. Both were very funfunfun and I’d like to do them again, but not both on the same weekend.

I got some pretty nice photos of Steamboat, although not of the fire spinning. I was afraid I’d drop or lose the camera at the hot springs. I’ll share soon. (Lyda.) I didn’t take any pictures at Marin’s party, but she might have some when she posts about it. I will say the snacks were delicious and the party favors exceptional–we each got a charm bracelet, a Nintendo DS Lite, and a Brain Age² game. That’s a good thing, because when I played it, I tested at a brain age of 52. I am not 52. (Marin tested at 32. Bitch.)

Oh yeah. Sleep. That might help my brain age more than all the training in the world. Ya think? And I am driving nowhere tomorrow!

Canine version, that is.Your family is what makes you tick, and you never “flea” from an opportunity to hang out with the whole gang. A family picnic complete with hot dogs, deviled eggs and a refreshing swim in the lake is hard for you to stray from. Your sparky temperament and dogged intelligence mean you are not only a blast to hang out with, but great to work with as well. Your close pals appreciate your patience and forgiveness, knowing you’d rather let sleeping dogs lie than dwell on the mishaps of the past. Your dashing good looks may one day lead to a modelling career, if only you can tame the unfortunate clumsiness that sometimes causes you to go flailing from the catwalk.

I found this quiz link on The Dust Bunnies Will Wait. See, ya’ll? Leave a comment, I’ll read your blog and link to it. Not that I’m obsessed with the blogiverse or anything… hrumph.

And speaking of knit blog – which I belive this is – ya’ll have to check out this post. Looks like it was made for Martha Graham, doesn’t it?

Anna-Liza here again. I really can’t do justice to my subject, but I can’t ignore it entirely, either. It doesn’t help that I completely forgot to bring the camera for Solfest. Someone else has promised me pictures of Darlin’ K firespinning in front of the stage, but he hasn’t emailed them yet. I’ll post some if he ever does—he said they were good ones. And I’ll tidy up the Wool Market loose ends later. Really! Anyway, my solstice celebration was a bit more active than Lyda’s, but every bit as pleasant.

Most of last week, I left work as close to on-the-dot-five as I could manage, made a pit stop at a fast food place, and then hustled over to the Double Rainbow Ranch for a series of four workshops with Aumrak. I’m still absorbing and processing what happened for me there, but I will say it was gentler and sweeter than I was prepared for, and yet I know I did some very deep work. In terms of forms, we did everything from formal ceremony to guided meditation to two straight hours of dancing as parts of our work, and every bit of it built on what came before. Darlin’ K was super-supportive of this whole thing, uncomplainingly taking sole charge of the kidlets for three nights in a row, listening to me talk about my process, even listening to me sing to him! Now there’s a man in a million.

I was very pleased with the workshops and very happy to get to work with Aumrak. She is very gentle in her approach, but that gentleness in no way dimishes her power. It’s an example and a lesson for me, and I hope I “got” it. My fellow “workshop-mates” and I helped her prepare the fire and mandala for the Solstice ritual at Solfest. That was also very satisfying and fun into the bargain.

The music at Solfest was every bit as good as I’d hoped. Darlin’ K did some firespinning with Lunar Fire and got a really positive response. The man really has no idea how beautiful he is when he does that. I feel like I have to beat him over the head with the positvie feedback he gets from the audience afterward! He also organized and ran the free spinjam that happened after Lunar Fire’s set, while Muse of Turiya performed. I gave up and went back to the tent to sleep after about 12:30 or 1 a.m., but Darlin’ K stayed up and drummed with the drum circle until 3-ish.

The music started at 4 p.m. Saturday, went until 2 a.m. when the drum circle started, then started again 10:30 Sunday morning until 3:45, when we had the closing circle. And there was a big ol’ potluck brunch on Sunday in the middle of everything, too. Oh, and let us not forget Sunday morning yoga, which was about 2 hours long and very gently nearly killed me — although that was my own fault, really. I didn’t have to try to do all of the poses, or hold them for quite so long. I didn’t do any knitting, although I had some with me (of course), but I did do lots of spinning. Practicing with my hand spindle just seemed to fit the setting and the music.

The site was beautiful–a little valley in the foothills, lots of trees, a really pretty creek running through it, lots of space, actual bathrooms with running water and showers! And peacocks. Oh! and wild turkeys–real ones! (I suppose someone might have had some of the alcohol variety, too.) They gobble and look just like the cartoons. I’d heard them before, but I’d never gotten a good look at one–they’re usually just a little movement in the trees, that you’re not really sure you saw. It was all very comfortable and friendly. I overheard one woman say it was like a mini Rainbow Gathering, but without the sketchy part. I admit I spent most of my time wearing batik and tie-dye.

Oh, and I got a henna tattoo. During the opening circle at Solfest, a big yellow and black butterfly came and hovered right in front of me, just at the level of my heart. I took it as a sign of transformation, and so that’s what my henna tattoo was–a butterfly and a heart. I had Darlin’ K take a picture before the henna paste came off, because I wasn’t sure it would darken enough to be visible in a photo after. Here’s a close-up of my henna’d chest (do try to contain your excitement):

If ever I get over my needle phobia long enough to get real ink, it will most likely be something like that.

What shall we wear? We’ll need bikinis, but what color? We’ll look fabulous in them!! One of the advantages of virtual parties – one can be whatever shape or size one wants! And when I say “one” I mean “me”!

Oh, we also need to think about our feet:

What Your Flip Flops Say About You

You are crazy, and mostly in a good way.You have wild ideas, many of which seem drug induced.You are open to new experiences, and you are a bit of a drifter.You’re never sure what you’ll be doing tomorrow.. and you like it that way.Your ideal warm weather place: the Gold Coast of Australia

You are sophisticated, modern, and high class.Your taste is refined, but you are not picky.You are often the first to try something new.You are emotionally expressive and sensitive.You’re effected by everything around you.Your friends appreciate your open heart, but they are afraid of hurting your feelings.You love to be in love. You crave romance, whether you’re single or not.

In other news – it’s officially summer! I celebrated Midsummer – also known as Litha and the Summer Solstice and a lot of other things – Saturday by sweltering in the record-breaking heat enjoying the warmth of the sun. Mostly sitting on the couch, watching TV, doing a bit of reading, taking a nap (hey, napping is a traditional Midsummer activity!). I ran a few errands in the morning – recycling center, library, gas station (gasp!) – and stopped by the grocery store for some fruit and juice. And diet soda – hey, don’t judge. It was so hot, I didn’t really want anything but fruit.

I watched “Fright Night” (1985) with Roddy McDowell – he was awesome, doing a parody of horror movies and yet playing the role full out. It’s terrific to see a great actor having fun like this. Actor gold! No zombies in this movie, just vampires, but good none the less. Funny, too. And the 80s hair! Heh. Here’s the trailer. And here’s a video tribute. On the Pollyanna scale, I give it one brain out of 5 for violence and gore, and a full 5 brains out of 5 for good horror fun (mostly because of Roddy McDowell). And now of course, I’ll have to see the sequel…

Ice cream and a horror movie. Now that’s a celebration.

“I absolutely adore movies. Even bad ones. I don’t like pretentious ones, but a good bad movie, you must admit, is great.” – Roddy McDowell